The speculation is over. Cyber Warfare is a reality.

According to F-Secure Labs’ latest Threat Report, Cyber Warfare is now a reality. The game changer was Stuxnet, followed by Flame, Duqu and Gauss. And these weren’t created overnight. F-Secure Labs estimates that it took more than 10 manyears to develop Stuxnet, and even more time and resources to create Duqu, Flame and Gauss.

Mikko Hyppönen believes that nation states are using these complex, difficult-to-detect malware to attack each other. Cyber warfare has become a viable option, often preferable to conventional warfare or diplomacy. “Just like modern hi-tech research revolutionized military operations over the last 50 years, we are going to see a new revolution, focusing on information operations and cyber warfare,” Mikko writes in his introduction to the report. “This revolution is underway and it’s happening right now.”

What else in happening in online security? Real threats to owners of Apple computers. Flashback was the first massive malware outbreak on the Mac OS X platform. It infected more than 600 000 Macs around the world.

Several of policed themed ransomware attacks have appeared around the globe, and they’re expected to get increase. Simply put this malware type employs extortion techniques to make money out of the victims. It takes control of the user’s computer, then leverages the victim’s surprise, embarrassment and fear to push them into paying the ransom demanded in order to regain control of their files.

At the F-Secure Response Labs in Helsinki, Finland, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, security experts work around the clock to ensure customers are protected from the latest online threats so F-Secure Internet Security will give you the best possible protection.